Results 301-320 of 1,038,049 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív00) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (19 Sep 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I am sorry. I strongly support the sentiments expressed by my colleague. I compliment the Minister and Ministers of State for the progress to date in what was a difficult and tall task in relation to housing generally. The policies are working. However, there is a need for a fast kick forward at this time because a large number of people who have been renting for a long period and now...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: The Minister hit the nail on the head. That is the point I was making. We want people to be able to stay there. The vast majority of people in Balbriggan who are of working age and employed leave. They leave in the morning to go to work. They are not employed locally. There is an issue with underemployment that the Minister will be aware of. Even the report refers to towns like...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Fingal is a major employment zone too. Taking the airport as an example, 25,000 people are directly employed on-campus, with about 120,000 indirect jobs in that area. That is how important the airport industrial and economic zone is. Certainly, regarding remote working, specifically for Fingal, last year the local government division of my Department last year allocated €150,000 in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Marine Protected Areas

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: 56. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position regarding the publication of the marine protected areas legislation, with an anticipated timeline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36076/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I want to ask the Minister of State about the marine protected areas legislation. It is key unfinished work that we have in front of us as a Government. I would like to see it completed, not just from the point of view of the environmental NGOs, which are looking for progress on this, as is anybody with an interest in the marine, but, also, as we are developing our offshore wind, it is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: As an island nation, our seas and our ocean are crucial for Ireland, supporting our economy, international trade, our energy supply and communications systems, as well as our climate, environment, cultural traditions, heritage, health and wellbeing. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 sets the underpinning process for planning, consenting and regulation of certain maritime activities and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister of State. We are great friends, both inside and outside this Chamber, so I hope he does not mind if I put the boot in a little on this. That was not really much of an answer. The clock is ticking on this Government, whether we are talking about November, December, Valentine's Day, or March 2025. There is not a great deal of time and this is key legislation. Under...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: The Deputy is correct in saying that we have moved from 2.4% at the outset of this Government to 10% of waters under strict protection as special protection areas, SPAs, for marine birds, including the east coast and the seas off Wexford, which is the largest SPA in the history of the State. I have established a marine advisory group, which is a high-level scientific group, which has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We have a range of competing interests that are looking at our offshore area. It should be mentioned that we do not have a senior Minister for the marine even though nine tenths of our actual territorial area is the marine. We do not want a Klondike situation here. We have huge growth in offshore renewables, which is welcome. We have that designated maritime area plan, DMAP, process,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Marine Protected Areas (19 Sep 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I fully support Deputy Ó Cathasaigh. As the Minister of State knows, this is an issue that we have raised regularly in the committee. "Frustrating" is probably an understatement. We were led to believe at an earlier stage that the legislation was nearly ready to go at the end of last year. Now, we are hearing that it has not even been completed. Even if it is published before...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Vacant Properties (19 Sep 2024)

David Stanton: Could the Minister of State let me know at some stage which local authorities are using the funding provided by the Oireachtas to fund vacant homes officers? Which of those are doing that exclusively so that, for example, the vacant homes job is not number ten on a list of other works they have got to do? Is that a condition attached to the funding we are providing to the local authorities?...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Vacant Properties (19 Sep 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: The Minister of State has pointed to a reduction in other counties. That is not the case in Clare, which has a huge vacancy rate. Shannon, once again, had the highest rate of commercial vacancy in the county at 29.8%, which is the highest in Munster and the third highest nationwide. It is unchanged again for a second year in Kilrush at 24.5%. There is no hotel there and has not been for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Vacant Properties (19 Sep 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: I note the comments made by Deputy Wynne. On the figures I have for Cork city and county, Cork county has 747 applications received for the vacant property refurbishment grant, with 478 approved and 76 rejected, and 26 grants have been paid out on completion of works. The figures for Clare are 401 received, 234 approved, 31 rejected and 16 paid out on completion of works. Again, I wish...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Economic Policy

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: 55. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures he is taking to help grow the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30131/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: The Minister will be well aware of the DCU and University of Ulster report that outlined not just the challenges, of which there were loads, but also the potential for the development of the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor. I would welcome an update from him on the work of his own Department in this regard. If I could be a small bit parochial relating to himself and myself, I would be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy. The national planning framework, NPF, published in 2018, sets out a vision and strategy for the spatial development of Ireland to 2040. National policy objective 44 of the NPF specifically commits to further supporting and developing the economic potential of the Dublin-Belfast corridor, in particular the core Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry network, and to promote and enhance...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank the Minister. Specifically, I am interested in knowing the work of the Minister's Department. I appreciate his response but a lot of that was focused on how people get out of Fingal by train and other public transport. I would appreciate if he could focus on how people can stay, and specific actions from his Department with regard to growing. What that report identified was huge...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Economic Policy (19 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Specifically on Fingal and Balbriggan, we can look at what our Department has done with funding under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. We will use Balbriggan again as an example of very significant investment to improve the public realm, purchase vacant properties, open up Dublin Street, the quay, the harbour and all of that, and that work has been transformative. We want...